Myths, Magic & Monsters
by f-romanoff-13
Summary: An accidental curse leaves three of the Avengers as mythological creatures (a vampire, a werewolf and a magical being), their powers get stronger, and it soon becomes clear they need to reverse it, soon.
1. Chapter 1

_My works are all un beated so I apologize in advance for any mistakes._

_The Avengers and related characters do not belong to me (as much as I wish they did), I just borrow them from time to time._

_Reviews are always appreciated!_

_*This author is now back at uni, all uncompleted stories are still in progress and i will still be working on them, however it may be a while between updates, sorry!*_

* * *

Natasha woke first; a burning sensation overwhelming her entire body, It felt like she was on fire. It ripped her from unconsciousness in an instant and left her feeling disorientated and dazed.

Scrambling out of the light and into the darkest corner of the room, she desperately fought to regain her composure; slowly opening her eyes, everything looked different despite it being exactly the same.  
Her book was still lay open on the sofa where'd she'd left it, Clint's bow was on the table next to Tony's mug of coffee, the newspaper, Pepper's sweater; everything was as it was earlier... But it all looked strange. Every minute detail was now visible to her; the small imperfections in Tony's mug, the frayed material on the sweater, the creases marring the cover of her book; everything seemed magnified, and everything was so bright.

The overloading of her senses wasn't limited to her sight; she could smell the familiar scents of her teammates; coffee, sweat, aftershave, leather, smoke and chemicals. She could smell it all, hear them breathing, the beating of their hearts, the gentle and constant hum of the arc reactor...

She looked over to her five unconscious team mates, none of whom looked injured; just completely out of it. Wracking her brain she tried to remember how the six of them had ended up flat out on the floor...

Natasha thought she remembered Amora being there there, _for some reason?_... She was angry about, _something...?_ She cursed herself for her fragmented memories as she tried to put together the pieces.

Amora turned up unexpectedly and appeared on the communal floor as the six of them ate dinner... Somehow getting round all of Tony's security; cursing and muttering under her breath. She was furious, Thor had tried to reason with her; but she vanished in a cloud of white smoke... and that's all Natasha could remember.

Tony stirred slightly as the sunlight coming in through the window reached his face, scowling; he swiped his hand toward the source of the light and Natasha watched as a blind slid closed, leaving Tony to peacefully sleep in the dark once again.

"Jarvis?" Natasha whispered, but got no response. She got the feeling something was distinctly wrong here...

Frowning in confusion, she suddenly noticed how strange her mouth felt. Moving her tongue around her mouth in an exploratory way, she jumped as it ran against something incredibly sharp. She could taste blood, and her hand flew up to her face, she didn't quite believe what she was feeling as her fingers ran over what could only be describes as fangs. Concern coursing through her body; she forced herself to her feet and made her way over to the mirror in the bathroom, reavhing it much faster that she'd expected; she gasped when she found was no reflection.

_**What the hell?!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha heard movement from the other room and headed back in that direction.  
She knew it was Clint who was awake even before she saw him, just by listening to the way he moved; the quiet shift of weight as he rearranged his limbs in order to stand. She heard him shuffle slightly, obviously taking in his four teammates, and noticing the apparent lack of one...

His eyes darted up to meet hers as she re-entered the room. They grew wide with shock as they took in her appearance and, under the weight of his gaze, she took a step back.

"Tasha?"  
Her eyes met his as he took a tentative step forward, searching her body for any signs of injury; "What happened to you?"

She wondered what could be so wrong that he'd be looking at her like that, but there was no way for her to see what he was seeing...

"Amora-" she began, but Clint interrupted;

"I remember"

"Then what-"

"Are you- do you feel okay?"

She nodded, despite the face it wasn't completely true.

"You?" she inquired and he responded with a silent nod as she had.

"You look- Natasha are you sure you're alright?"

Natasha's eyes flicked back to Tony as she heard him stirring again, Clint's followed a moment later. Tony stumbled back to his feet, rather ungracefully, and rubbed his eyes.

"Wow could I used a drink" Tony said absently, before a glass of scotch appeared in his hand

"How- how the hell did you do that?" Clint asked, failing to hide the surprise in his voice.

Tony gazed at the recently materialised glass in his hand and shrugged; "I dunno, but that was cool!"  
He took a sip, savouring the taste and smiling; "Good stuff too!"

Tony smiled at Clint, offering him the glass and shrugging when Clint declined. He turned to face Natasha, and his eyebrows knitted together in concern;

"Geez Widow, those contacts are creepy"

"Contacts?" she asked, turning to look at her reflection in the window, but once again finding none.

"You're eyes are bright red Nat" Clint told her

"Like bloodshot?"

"No, your irises; like no longer green, but red. Bright red"

"Plus you look pale, and for you; that's saying something!" Tony joked, taking another sip of his scotch.

"Oh shut it Stark" she growled, showing the two men too much of her teeth. She'd been trying to keep them covered; she was already majorly freaked out and she didn't need them to freak out right now either.

They both took a step back; the tone of her voice conveyed a warning to them both but the image of her fangs was what frightened them.  
Her flash of anger quickly subsided as she took in the look of fear in both men's eyes; they'd never looked at her like that before, and it scared her.

"I'm- I'm sorry" her voice returned to normal, no hint of the harsh, angry tone it had taken a moment ago.

The other three started to stir, taking in the scene before them;

"Everyone okay?" Steve asked, watching as Clint and Tony stood warily across the room from Natasha, their gazes never moving. Natasha looked timid, slinking back in the shadows and her arm drawn across her as if to protect her from the looks they aimed her way.

"Erm, we're not so sure" Tony answered, chancing a glance to the captain.

"Urgh my head!" Bruce complained, a swollen spot on his temple throbbing as Thor helped him to his feet.

"Looks like you hit it pretty good" Steve said, attempting to get a better look by moving his hair back slightly.

Bruce yelped in pain as Steve's hand made contact with his head, pushing back his hand and shaking in anger.

Everyone took a few steps back away from him, other than Natasha who was already stood with her back against the wall; all afraid the Hulk would make an unwanted appearance.

What happened next no one expected; rather than turning green, Bruce's form gave way to reveal a huge, and terrifying wolf.

"Friend Banner, calm down. This is not you" Thor told him, steeping closer to tare the wolves orange eyes from Steve.

The wolf snarled before swiping it's huge paws at Thor and sending him flying through the air. To the teams surprise, Thor had four deep slashes across his chest; all bleeding profusely, as he scrambled back to his feet.

The wolf charged at Steve next, going to bite him with his strong, powerful jaw. The only thing that stopped him was Mjolnir hitting him squarely in the face. Steve ran to Thor's side as he collapsed back to the floor, bleeding heavily.

Bruce, dazed, turned his attention on Clint and Tony stood in the far corner of the room. He stalked slowly toward them as they desperately tried to think of a way out...

The wolf seemed to almost smirk at them as he approached.

Natasha appeared out of nowhere; putting herself directly between the wolf on it's prey while Bruce looked at her with little interest; nothing more than an annoyance, she was just in the way.

Natasha grinned as her gamble paid off; glaring her teeth as Bruce went left and right, trying to get past her but she mirrored his moves and he stared at her, anger flashing in his eyes.

She'd notice his attention was on everyone but her, he'd barely even glanced in her direction, despite her being closer and in a more vulnerable position than Clint and Tony had been when he'd gone for them.

He growled but she didn't move. Snarled; no response. She didn't back down. Natasha stared him down defiantly; red eyes locked with orange as the four other Avenger's watched on bewildered.

Bruce had had enough and swiped at her with his large, heavy paws. She had strength beyond what she expected as she deflected the attack, but behind her; Tony flinched, worried another team member would be injured, and a blast erupted from his hands; sending her and Bruce flying through the air. Natasha hit Tony's bar before she hit the ground and Bruce ended up crashing through the far wall.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" Clint demanded, still failing to process what had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony stayed frozen in place, staring at his hands and unwilling to move.  
Steve helped Thor to the sofa, before running to check on Bruce (who was now Bruce shaped and significantly less hairy), while Clint ran to Natasha's side.  
Steve rejoined them a moment later, informing the others that Bruce was out cold and unhurt. Then his eyes caught Natasha...

"Nat? Natasha?" Clint was asking gently, trying not to move her. Steve bent down beside her and placed two fingers on her neck, searching for a pulse.  
Sorrow flooded over him as he continued to search for signs of life; no pulse, she wasn't breathing, he couldn't feel or hear a heartbeat...

"Clint she's-"

"No! She's not dead, don't say it! Natasha? Come on; open those eyes for me Nat?"

"Clint-"

"Back off Steve. She's **my** partner and she's** not** dead!"

"Come on Nattie, wake up" Tony had joined them now, stroking her pale face; begging for Steve to just be wrong for once. But she was cold, and there was no life in her and Tony's heart wrenched in his chest; this was his fault.

"No, Natasha" Clint wept, scooping her into his lap and holding her close; the absence of her heartbeat was deafening.

He cried; it was raw and painful. Tony let his tears fall silently down his cheeks while Steve's sobs shook his body. It seemed like forever, but the silence was broken with one small whisper;

"Clint?"

He jumped so much he almost dropped her, looking into her open eyes; still gleaming red, he tried to respond but was just too shocked

"Natasha? You're alive?" Tony managed to say, scrambling over to her side as Clint still held her in his arms

"Stark, how much have you had to drink?"

"No but really, you were dead. Totally dead. Way dead"

"You're quoting Buffy again Stark"

"Natasha, you- you still... I don't understand" Clint said, leaning close to her again. He placed her on the sofa and pushed her gently back down when she tried to get up. She stayed, if only because his gaze was worried and his face still stained with tears.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes sir?"

"Please run a full medical on Romanoff" Stark asked

"Right away sir"

"Wait, Jarvis is working now? He didn't respond to me earlier"

Steve felt Natasha's neck once again, finding no pulse

"Sir, I'm afraid Agent Romanoff has no signs of life"

All eyes were suddenly placed on her; it was unnerving.

Bruce stumbled in from the other room, muttering his apologies.  
"What's going on?" he asked, sitting down beside Natasha.

"We're not entirely sure... So far we figure you're a werewolf, it appears Tony has some sort of magical powers and Natasha is dead" Steve summarised

"Undead" Natasha corrected

"_Riiight_" Bruce replied, unsure whether this was supposed to be some sort of joke. But seeing Natasha's burning red eyes, and the claw marks carved into Thor's chest; he decided to believe them.

"And how exactly did this happen?"

All five members of the team either shook their head or shrugged their shoulders. None of them had any idea, but they knew they needed to figure it out. And soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Their first priority was Thor; he needed urgent medical attention. No one had ever seen Thor injured; he rarely got hurt and he healed remarkably fast. But having been attacked by a supernatural being; his invulnerability and healing enhancements seemed to no longer apply, and he wasn't happy about that.

"Wait, is he gonna become a werewolf too?" Clint asked, concerned while Bruce stitched and bandaged Thor up. It didn't pass unnoticed that Natasha was as far away as possible without actually leaving the floor; keeping a safe distance from all the blood.

"I think we need to do some research" Tony decided, glancing over to Natasha who was frowning at her lack of reflection in front of the mirror.

"Where do we even start?" Steve asked. "Would Shield have anything on this?"

"I seriously doubt it"

"Then books, internet, folklore? Who knows?"

At Tony's words several books fell on the table and the various electronic devices around the floor flickered to life; displaying various useful websites.

"I guess we start here" he smiled, looking proud of himself. Natasha's responding eye roll was even more obvious now that usual now her eyes were gleaming red.

They each took a book, laptop or tablet and set to work.

Several hours later they'd learnt a lot about Vampires, Werewolves and various magical beings;

Vampires were thought to be vulnerable only to silver and wood. They couldn't go out in sunlight and obtained sustenance through the ingestion of human blood. Vampires were strong, fast and had heightened sense. The method of creating a vampire varied on where they looked; the most common theories included the vampire feeding from a host and leaving them with just enough blood so they didn't die, while some required the vampire to allow their victim to feed off them in return.

Werewolves were formed, according to the books they had; when they were bitten by a werewolf. They were believed to be incredibly strong and have no control over their actions while in the wolf state. Some legends told how werewolves appeared only on the night of the full moon, some named weekly cycles, while others stated the wolf overtook the man in moments of fear, anger or pain – from observing Bruce, they figured the latter was correct.

Werewolves and Vampires were natural enemies, and both were severely vulnerable to magics. Both states were often described as an 'affliction', as if caused by a virus; this gave Bruce hope he might find a cure.

There was heaps and heaps of information about magic and the people who possessed such powers; wizards, warlocks, magicians, shamans...  
But at the moment, Tony was the least of their worries...

They carried on researching well past midnight, looking for anything that might point to a cure, but by 2am; five of the Avengers were asleep.

Natasha was bored out of her mind and knew more about Vampires than she ever wanted to know. Plus she'd just figured that apparently, Vampires didn't need to sleep.

She watched Clint who slept soundly with his head on her lap; a book on Vampires falling out of his grasp as he slept. All Natasha could concentrate on was the steady beating she could hear of his heart, the thumping of his carotid artery in his neck, she could see it pulsating just inches from her...

She was suddenly very hungry.

Forcing herself to stand, gently rearranging Clint so he was lay on the sofa and took herself outside to the balcony; away from temptation.

She would kill Amora for this... Or at least make her pay, she wasn't quite sure if Amora could even be killed...

Natasha stayed out there til morning, watching as the city gradually woke. As the sun came out she had no choice but to flee back into the safety of the tower, closing the blinds; she sighed. A whole day cooped up in the tower... She was just beginning to contemplate what their next step should be when the team began to wake.

Bruce woke first, and gave her a tense smile in the darkened room. Something about it made her feel uneasy, and she suddenly remembered what she'd read about Vampires and Werewolves being natural enemies. Between her increasing hunger and the agitation she felt towards Bruce; she sensed the Vampire in her was getting stronger, and wondered silently whether Bruce felt the same...


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce woke to see Natasha watching them from the corner of the room. He felt a subtle rage rise within him as he looked at her, an inbuilt dislike; a distrust. He put it down to the wolf in him sensing she was a vampire, but it made him feel uncomfortable and he had to force himself to look away for fear the wolf would make another appearance.

She quickly excused herself from the room when she felt Bruce's golden eyes fixed on her. Her impulses and urges were getting stronger, she was starting to lose control of her anger and she was just so hungry. She just needed some space, the tower suddenly seemed far too crowded.

The other Avengers woke shortly after and went about comparing the notes they'd compiled over the course of the night.

Steve started cooking breakfast for everyone after Tony's attempt at summoning bacon sandwiches resulted in a live pig running round the tower, squealing.

"Where's Nat?" Steve asked, plating up a sixth plate of food

"Erm Steve, I don't think she'd gonna want to eat that" Tony told him

"Why not?"

"I don't think it's quite rare enough"

"Oh right, yeah" Steve suddenly realised, "Bruce, do you-" he stuttered, thinking about his other teammates current state. He'd been reading up on magical creatures last night so wasn't really aware of what vampires and werewolves would require.

"I'm still human Steve" Bruce answered, quickly stealing the food meant for Natasha "at the moment anyway"

Tony watched Bruce quickly eat the second sandwich with a speed only challenged by Thor and thought maybe there was something to the folklore he'd read last night about the increased metabolism the wolf required.

The TV screen came to life showing Nick Fury's angry looking face;

"Avengers" he greeted and didn't wait for a reply

"I have a mission for you"

They all glanced uneasily at one another, perhaps they should have informed Shield of their current predicament earlier. They couldn't go out into the field like this, Natasha literally; it was in the middle of the day, and Bruce and Tony were unpredictable at the moment, it could end in a disaster. Not to mention they were currently a Hulk down.

Tony jumped when he realised Natasha had appeared beside him, her usual skill of appearing without being noticed was multiplied tenfold at the moment.

"Where is Agent Romanoff?" Fury addressed the five men gathered round the lounge.

"What do you mean?" Clint asked, glancing over to his partner, who looked at the screen with realisation suddenly dawning

"How many things can that mean Barton? I want to speak to Romanoff. Where is she?"

"But, she's right-" Clint began

"I'll go find her" Tony rushed to interrupt, grabbing Natasha's wrist and dragging her off. He was surprised at how cold she felt and it took all his self control not to drop it again instantly.

Clint got up to follow them and the three others all watched them leave.  
Steve smiled at the director; "So, what's this mission sir?"

Fury glared at them, something was going on...

"He can't see you" Tony told Natasha

"Well I figured that out!"

"What do we do? Do we tell him what's going on?" Clint asked, arriving behind them

Tony grabbed his phone from his pocket and held it up

"What are you doing now Stark?"

"That is so weird" he told them smiling, "Clint, look"

"Is that like the reflection thing?"

"Must be, I guess it kind of makes sense. You have no reflection, can't be seen through cameras, Jarvis won't respond to you... You're really a vampire Nat"

"Stark, I thought we figured this out last night"

"Yeah I know, I guess I never really thought about the implications... Wait, what are you gonna eat?!" he asked, suddenly concerned

"This is not the issue at hand Stark" Natasha warned him, but really he'd just hit one her more pressing worries.

"We have to tell Fury, you can't even leave the tower" Clint told her

"She could if it were night" Tony told them, and an idea sparked in his mind

Clint and Natasha shared a concerned look, before Steve shouted from the other room;

"Tony! What did you do?"

Easing back the curtains Clint looked outside to see a dark sky, stars and moon; not a sun in sight.

"Erm, I don't think this is the way to go if you don't want Fury to know..." Clint told him, but he couldn't ignore the pleased look on Natasha's face

"Forget the mission; something more urgent has come up. I still want to speak to Romanoff!" Fury informed the team before disappearing from the screen.

"Tony, how long can you keep it night?" Natasha asked

"I dunno, why?"

Natasha smiled softly and went out to the balcony, enjoying the fresh air (not that she needed it) and the open space. Clint watched her cautiously;

"Being cooped up is going to drive her insane" he told Tony

"We need to fix this" he agreed, nodding.


End file.
